


Neon Rainbow Dreams

by spookyspicedchai



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coming of Age, First Crush, M/M, Older Park Chanyeol, Younger Byun Baekhyun, the country fic no one asked for;;
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:47:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyspicedchai/pseuds/spookyspicedchai
Summary: "Baekhyun knew Chanyeol wouldn’t so much as hurt his feelings, let alone break his heart. He was sick of being treated like a child, of always being told what to do, to stay away from trouble. When it came to Park Chanyeol, Baekhyun wasn’t playing with fire; he was playing to get burned."
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 45
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really scared to post this. *delete button at the ready* idk if I can handle getting my heart broken twice ;;w;;

“Byun Baekhyun!” a deep voice called out to him. Baekhyun turned around with a practiced turn of his head.

It was Park Chanyeol. He was standing with a group of boys his age, and he was looking right at Baekhyun with a beautiful grin on his face. Baekhyun could feel Kyungsoo cower and shrink beside him, but Baekhyun wasn’t afraid. He lifted his chin and leveled the older boys with an assured gaze as he walked towards them; his friend trailing reluctantly behind him.

“Now, look who’s filled out and starting to show some curves.”

“Hi Chanyeol,” said Baekhyun, giving his best smile. “I’m turning fourteen. I’m practically all grown.”

“That you are,” Chanyeol replied, good-naturedly. “I remember when you used to run around town causing all sorts of trouble.” He laughed with a warm smile.

At this, Baekhyun blushed. He was thirteen-almost-fourteen and much more grown up now. He didn’t want Chanyeol thinking of him as a child, but before he could recover and turn the conversation away from his immature past, another voice piped up.

“What curves?” said the boy. “He’s still a scrawny shrimp with big ears and a big mouth, if you ask me.”

The boy stood by Chanyeol’s side, a dispassionate look gracing his strikingly pretty face. He was tall, nearly as tall as Chanyeol, but where Chanyeol was naturally muscular and sun-kissed from summers working on the farm, this boy was pale and lithe; his proportions waify, like a model. Baekhyun stared stunned for a moment, cheeks cherry red and mouth agape, before he snapped his mouth shut and took a big breath to prepare for the deluge of spiteful words that were rolling off his tongue before he could stop himself.

“Like I care what the likes of you think, Oh Sehun! I still remember when you were all arms and legs, running around like a twig that could snap at any moment! You think you’re so hot now that all the girls are chasing after you, but they wouldn’t even spare you a passing glance if they knew you returned home from the city so soon because your looks were _small town_ and _pedestrian_! You’re just a pretty face, and you couldn’t even do that!” Baekhyun yelled, forgetting all about looking ‘mature and sophisticated’ in front of Chanyeol. “And, don’t forget! I was the one who found you crying in the ravine when you tried to follow your brother and his friends to the jump-off point. If it weren’t for me, those pretty, long legs of yours might’ve been stuck in a wheelchair by now!”

Sehun seethed as the boys standing around him doubled over in laughter, and Baekhyun was pleased to see Chanyeol with a bemused look on his face. It made him beam and stand a little taller.

Baekhyun was good at talking; he was known for talking, and perhaps, talking too much. His mother and teachers would often scold him and tell him he was much too naughty and that young, polite boys should practice virtue by listening rather than speaking. But, Baekhyun couldn’t contain his mischief or control his temper, and with his slight build, his sharp wit and quick tongue were his only weapons for retaliation against jerks like Oh Sehun.

The older boy ground his foot into the sidewalk and endured his friends teasing with a stony face.

“That one’s got a mouth on him!” one of them hollered.

“Who knew a little kid could put Oh Sehun in his place?” another laughed.

“He’s kinda cute,” another added.

“Byun Baekhyun, you’d better learn to shut your mouth before someone does something about it one day!” Sehun shouted, his aloof demeanor from before all but falling away in the face of confrontation.

“I’m not scared of you!” Baekhyun answered, triumphantly, mustering all of the childish bravado only a pubescent boy could wield with such overflowing confidence. Beside him, he thought he heard a whimper coming from Kyungsoo, but Baekhyun was too caught up in the attention he was receiving from the group of older boys to care.

Baekhyun loved being the center of attention. He thrived on it, and when his mother was in a good mood, she would call him her _Little Star_ , saying he was born to be on stage and make people laugh and fall in love with him. However, his preening and performative stunts also got him into trouble. He was often made to stay after school, clapping dusty erasers till the sky was going down in a blazing, fiery sunset. He would come home covered in white chalk dust smeared all over his scrunched up face and powdering his school clothes like baker’s flour. Mama would laugh at the disheveled state of his hair, now a comical shade of gray, and ruffle his normally honey brown locks affectionately.

“Whatever,” Sehun scoffed, schooling his face back into his usual one of apathy and haughtiness. He turned to Chanyeol. “C’mon, let’s go. The girls are waiting by the corner store.”

As the others headed down the street, Chanyeol stayed behind, staring at their backs for a moment before turning to stand in front of Baekhyun.

“Take it easy on him. It’s not easy to come back home with your tail between your legs,” he said with a smile in his voice. “You sure do have a mouth on you, though. Poor Sehun. I hope I’m never on the receiving end of one of your tongue lashings.”

Baekhyun looked down, slightly chastised after coming back to his senses. “Well, if I were him, I would’ve made damn sure I never had to,” he replied, defiantly.

"When I grow up, I’m leaving this good-for-nothing, stupid, old town and don’t you expect me to ever come back! I’ll leave and stupid Oh Sehun and the rest of those jerks will never see me again. I’ll forget all about this place and everyone in it and I won’t be sad at all!” he finished with a petulant huff.

Chanyeol studied his face for a long moment before saying, “I hope you make those dreams of yours come true one day. But, I hope that day doesn’t come for a while. It’d make me sad to never see you again.”

With that, he walked away to catch up with his friends, leaving Baekhyun feeling childish and more than a little embarrassed for his outburst. Kyungsoo walked beside him as they headed home. “You know, if you were trying to show him how mature and grown up you are, I’m not sure it worked.”

“ _Oh_ , _Kyungsoo._ ”

“Forget those guys. They’re dumb anyways. I overheard Mrs. Oh and my mother talking in the kitchen; and apparently, Sehun came home the other day sulking after he asked Jisoo to go to the county fair with him and got rejected!” Kyungsoo whispered, excitedly.

“I don’t care about stupid Oh Sehun,” he muttered sullenly, his bottom lip sticking out. “I only care about Chanyeol.”

“Baekhyun, he’s _nineteen._ ”

“So! I’m almost fourteen, Soo!” he said quickly. “Next year, we’ll be in high school-”

“And Chanyeol will be working at the farm or in college or _married_!”

“ _Don’t you say that, Soo_!” Baekhyun gasped, affronted and utterly betrayed by the idea. “We’re meant to be. I’ve still got some growing up to do, but I’ll keep him right at the tips of my fingers, so no one can snatch him away before I do! Didn’t you hear him? He called me _curvy_ and said I filled out!”

“You still look small and skinny to me,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“Oh, what would you know about it.” Baekhyun brushed him off. “I’ll grow into my hips, just you wait and see.”

Baekhyun was confident as he adjusted the waistband on his denim shorts, sitting high on his hips and accentuating his slender waist before they belled out into plump, baby soft thighs.

“Anyways, you should stay away from those other boys,” Kyungsoo warned. “Daddy told me they come into the store causing all sorts a’ ruckus, bangin’ around by the back coolers, upsetting the other customers, and then they come up to the front with only a pack of chewing gum and some hot jerky! He’s sure they’re stealing beers, or maybe even the _hard stuff_ , but he says boys like that are trouble. He told me to stay clear of them and now I’m telling you, Byun Baekhyun. You hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah. I hear you,” he grumbled. “They can’t be so bad if Chanyeol is hanging around with them, don’tcha think?”

“I warned you,” is all he said. “I’m stayin' outta trouble and so should you.”

 _Trouble_ , Baekhyun thought. Why was everyone always going on about him and getting into trouble? Kyungsoo was like a tiny mother, always by his side, making sure he never did anything too stupid or dangerous. The short, bespectacled boy was his best friend, but he sure didn’t understand the fun of playing with fire. But, Baekhyun did. Maybe that’s why adults always gave him that funny look, like they were seeing something he couldn’t. They always sent him off with a warning falling on deaf, careless ears and a pinched look creasing their faces. He was so sick of that look; and sometimes, he was sick of Kyungsoo, too.

The sky was awash in vibrant shades of reds and purples as they meandered down a long strip of unpaved, country road, golden fields of wheat to the west toasting underneath the summer sun.

“Mama said it’s okay for you to come over for dinner,” Kyungsoo spoke into the companionable silence. “She’s making pot roast, and she was up at dawn rolling out the dough for her strawberry rhubarb pie.”

“Nah, I’ma head home,” Baekhyun answered. “My mama’s got a whole feast goin’ for us, too!”

“Okay then, see ya ‘round, Baekhyun!” the small boy bid his friend farewell as the road splintered into a three-pronged fork.

It was dark by the time Baekhyun made it home. The house was empty and pitch black - his mama having left early that morning long before he even woke up - and the sound of the rickety front door swinging shut behind him prompted a loud sigh from the boy. Mama always worked late, and there wasn’t much to eat in the house.

Baekhyun’s father wasn’t home, either. The man was a bit of a sore spot for him, as he hadn’t really seen his father since he left almost seven years ago. He wasn’t _gone_ perse; he was just… traveling. Or, at least, that’s what his birthday postcards claimed. Last he heard from him, his daddy was making it big in Chicago, doing something with closing deals and meeting important people. He always made sure to send him a card for his birthday every year by the day - never late, not even once. And inside, there was always a crisp, brand new twenty dollar bill and a little note saying that when Baekhyun was old enough, he oughta come visit his old man in the city. He always said Baekhyun was too good for that nowhere hicktown: his baby belonged in the neon rainbow lights of the city where dreams came true. That’s why Baekhyun couldn’t hate him or let the man go, even when his mama would threaten to toss all of those _goddamn useless pieces of trash_ out with yesterday’s garbage.

He was his daddy, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls leave a comment if you've liked what you read and are interested in reading more. You can share what your favorite part was or anything you liked. Comments really motivate me, so pls consider leaving one if you can.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who commented on chapter one! and HUGE THANKS to zyximb and CharlieToRead for always encouraging me (ﾉ╹ヮ╹)ﾉ･:*☆
> 
> I'm so sorry it's taken me a while to update: my depression is a savage and editing this chapter was a pain in the butt. It's still really messy, and I have so much I want to change/improve, but I'm stuck at the moment, so I'm uploading the chapter as is for now. Please excuse the quality =(
> 
> Warnings: brief mention of underage characters engaging in dubious sexual activity

Baekhyun made his way through the thick brambles ignoring the way they viciously scratched at his face and caught on his clothes. His mama would surely give him an earful once she discovered the peppering of new holes, but the insistent tugging on his back only made him surge forward like a stubborn mule. People always warned him about his tenacity, said one day it would get the best of him.

Kyungsoo gave a small cry of pain when a particularly nasty branch sliced along his forearm. It was a shallow cut - the edges serrated and immediately drawing pin pricks of crimson blood.

“Ow!” Kyungsoo whined, holding his scraped up arm in a delicate cradle. 

“Shh! We’re almost there!” Baekhyun hissed back at his friend. “I told you to watch out for the prickly ones, didn’t I?” 

“Can’t we turn back?” Kyungsoo asked. “Where we even goin’ this far downstream?”

“We can’t go back and somewhere good,” Baekhyun shot back, tartly. “Don’tcha trust me?”

The question went unanswered. The small, black-haired boy just groaning weakly, used to his best friend’s dubious ideas that often ended in injury for one or both of them.

Baekhyun was stubborn and spirited to a fault, and Kyungsoo had learned long ago that no amount of persuasion or appeals to reason - or outright whining - could convince his friend to change his mind once it was made up. Kyungsoo admired him for these characteristics as much as he dreaded the inevitable consequences of them.

Sometimes, Baekhyun reminded Kyungsoo of the moon: always changing faces and glowing in the darkness, beautiful and powerful enough to pull the ocean in towards them or cause it to thrash about in raging, wild storms that could capsize massive ships and claim unknown lives. He was a blazing meteor dashing across the night sky in search of something beyond that burning horizon. Kyungsoo didn’t really understand what Baekhyun was searching for or why he couldn’t be happy right here where he was.

After a couple minutes, the sound of splashing water could be heard somewhere up ahead. Baekhyun looked back at Kyungsoo with a troubling glimmer in his half-moon eyes before he crouched down and hid behind a leafy shrub, discreetly parting the branches to sneak a peek in between them.

Once Kyungsoo was situated beside his friend, he peered over Baekhyun’s shoulder to steal a curious glance, too. What he saw made him stifle a horrified gasp as his innocent eyes landed on the bronzed back of none other than Park Chanyeol.

“Byun Baekhyun! I can’t believe you! Is this where you go when I ask you to come over and study?” Kyungsoo asked, completely scandalized, staring straight daggers at the boy- no, peeping tom, next to him.

“Oh, hush! This is much more important than studying for some boring old pop quiz! This is the study of the human body,” he sighed. “ _Isn’t he dreamy_?”

As offended as Kyungsoo was by his friend’s puzzling morals, he couldn’t deny that Chanyeol was quite handsome. He was nice, too, always saying hi to them whenever they bumped into him around town, talking to them like they were real grown-ups.

“How’d ya find this place, anyhow?” Kyungsoo questioned, suspicion still lacing his words, but softening around the edges. He could never stay mad at Baekhyun for long, no matter what crazy things he dragged him into. That was Baekhyun’s charm and his poison, and Kyungsoo often wondered what a lethal combination that would become once Baekhyun was a little older.

“I know all sorts a’ things,” Baekhyun answered. “It’s called Lover’s Lake. The older kids are always throwing parties out here on Saturday night. Swimming, necking, drinking.”

“So, why are we here now?”

“ _Because_ ,” Baekhyun drawled, like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Kyungsoo was being obtuse. “Chanyeol works mornings at the farm during the week; and afterwards, he comes here to cool off.”

“He’s naked.”

“ _I know_.”

“Don’t you have any decency?” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. Kyungsoo sounded like his mother.

“What’s the harm?” Baekhyun innocently asked. “It’s not like he knows I’m here! And besides, the water covers all the good stuff anyways.”

Baekhyun mumbled the last part regretfully.

“You mean… you’ve never seen his- _you know_?” Kyungsoo asked shyly.

“I almost did… once,” Baekhyun amended. “But just as he was about to turn around, I rolled forward and fell into a darn ditch! I had to high tail it out of there so fast, I came home lookin’ a straight mess, and mama kept eyeing me from across the dinner table!”

Kyungsoo giggled at that, covering his heart-shaped mouth with a small, grubby palm.

“I did see his butt, though,” Baekhyun whispered in something akin to hushed reverence. “And it was _glorious_.”

“What’s so special about butts, anyways?” Kyungsoo asked, pinching up his face in a look of mild disgust and confusion. “I’ve seen your pale behind more times than I’d care to count, and it doesn’t look like much to me.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Soo!” Baekhyun countered. “My butt is fantastic.”

“Says who?”

“Says Kim Jongin.”

“He did not!” Kyungsoo denied. “You’re such a liar, Byun Baekhyun. When would Kim Jongin have ever seen your tiny behind?”

“It was in the sixth grade,” Baekhyun said airily, like he didn’t care, though the careful nodding of his head and the demure glance off to the side told Kyungsoo he was dying to spill his juicy secret and milk it for all it was worth. “Some of the older boys were at the ravine, and I followed them because I saw them steal a case of six-packs from the corner store. I was spying on them when they caught me. They said they’d let me go if I played a game of truth or dare with them. I couldn’t be chicken, so I said ‘dare’, and that’s how I ended up in the middle of the woods showing off my bum to Kim Jongin.”

Baekhyun finished his story with a self-satisfied tilt of the head and a one-shouldered shrug, but Kyungsoo was looking back at him with an expression like spoiled milk. When Baekhyun noticed this, his chest deflated a little bit and he twisted his mouth uncertainly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the odd atmosphere and the fact that Kyungsoo was just staring at him and not saying anything.

“I hate you, Byun Baekhyun. I really do.” And with that, Kyungsoo was gone, just up and walking away from their hiding spot without even looking back.

Baekhyun slumped down onto the ground, staring after his best friend’s retreating back. He was disbelieving of what had just happened. Why was Kyungsoo so upset? It’s not like they kissed or anything. It was just a dare. Baekhyun knew Kyungsoo harbored a crush on Jongin since the second grade, but he never did anything about it besides blush and hide behind his books! Why shouldn’t Baekhyun have some fun? If they were dating, he’d understand, but Jongin is nearly three years older than them; he barely even knew Kyungsoo existed.

Baekhyun sat there, picking at his scabby knees and kicking the dirt under his shoes. Guilt was eating away at his troubled conscience when a familiar voice popped up from above his head.

“Baekhyun, what are you doing here?”

The crumpled boy looked up to find Chanyeol leaning over the small shrub, inky hair dripping big, fat droplets of water in thick rivulets down his glistening wet chest, soft beams of afternoon sun bouncing off his body in crystal prisms, throwing mini rainbows all over.

Baekhyun was mesmerized.

“I thought I saw your little friend storming off. What happened? You two get into a fight?” Chanyeol asked, concern ringing true in his voice. 

“He’s mad at me cus I wanted to go skinny dipping, and he was too embarrassed,” Baekhyun lied seamlessly, not wanting to reveal the real reason for Kyungsoo leaving him alone in the woods like an abandoned baby deer.

They never fought. Kyungsoo always scolded him for his rude or reckless behavior, but he always forgave him. He never just left. The unexpected turn of events made Baekhyun feel things he didn’t want to feel, and he hated that he was feeling this way in front of Chanyeol of all people. It was turning out to be a rotten day, and Baekhyun didn’t understand why.

“Well, he’s right, ya know,” Chanyeol said, and it made Baekhyun whip his head around with an incredulous look on his face. Chanyeol just laughed, shaking out his black hair, like an oversized golden retriever, splashing Baekhyun in the process and making the sullen boy shriek in surprise.

“Hey! What d’ya think you’re doin’? You’re getting me all wet!” Baekhyun shouted, now standing a little more than an arm’s length away from the older boy. Baekhyun saw Chanyeol had pulled on his jeans again at some point and silently cursed Kyungsoo for making him miss it.

“What’s it matter to you?” Chanyeol asked. “I thought you came here to skinny dip? Water’s all yours if you want.”

Baekhyun knew Chanyeol was teasing him, but he couldn’t back down from a challenge. So, he made a big show of stepping out from behind the shrub, keeping his distance from the older boy, who only watched him with an amused look on his face.

Baekhyun carefully made his way to the edge of the stream - it wouldn’t do to fall into another ditch, not with Chanyeol watching him - and glanced over his shoulder enticingly.

It was a move he’d practiced in front of the mirror: lifting up his shoulder just so, making his eyes heavy-lidded and dark. He’d recall the glamorous actresses from those black and white, midnight noir movies he used to watch with his daddy on their ancient, beat-up television set. The man would lean over conspiratorially and say ‘Now, that dame is a heartbreaker. They don’t make ‘em like her anymore. You wouldn’t know it now, but your mama was a heartbreaker before we got hitched. You shoulda seen the boys lining up around the block for her, but she chose me. Proudest moment of my life. Until you came along, that is.’

So young, Baekhyun had taken every morsel out of his father’s mouth as the bible. His daddy was his whole world. He was the moon and the stars. And, it was those rare moments of stability and fatherly love in between raucous fights and the sounds of breaking dishes and exhausted weeping that accumulated in Baekhyun’s subconscious like layers of sand art. A sprinkle of pink here. A chunk of purple there. Yellow, orange, green. Shaping a portrait of his father out of the negative spaces and filling them in with romantic ideas of a home life that consisted of quaint family dinners, an old record crooning in the background, and his father’s handsome face donning a five o’ clock shadow. The scratchy stubble would tickle his cheeks and make him giggle in delight when his father would swing him around in big, strong arms to shower him in kisses after a long day of work. It was those same dreams that kept him from crying at night, that made him believe his daddy had to go, but one day, he’d come back for him. And when he did, Baekhyun wanted to impress him and be all those beautiful things he’d played over and over in his head.

As he turned back around, certain that Chanyeol was watching him, Baekhyun made to remove his clothes in the same exaggerated manner. When his arms were criss-crossed at the waist to pull his shirt off over his head, the bony wings of his back were suddenly met with two large hands as they pushed him forward.

Baekhyun came sputtering to the surface to the sound of loud guffaws and Chanyeol doubled over in laughter at the edge of the water.

“Kids like you shouldn’t be skinny dipping anyways,” Chanyeol said, when he finally composed himself, Baekhyun glaring at him moodily from the water like a drenched cat. This was not the outcome he had planned. “And they shouldn’t be spying on other people, either.”

Baekhyun at least had the decency to furiously blush at being caught red-handed and sank lower into the cool river. He submerged himself completely underwater and stayed there, exhaling all the air from his lungs and floating to the bottom of the shallow stream to recover from such a humiliating blow to his ego.

Chanyeol watched him go until his head disappeared under the shimmering surface.

Baekhyun glided beneath the surface towards the dock on the other side of the stream. When he emerged, Chanyeol was already there to lend him a hand up and a warm towel.

“Thank you,” Baekhyun mumbled, clutching the towel close to his chest.

“Sure thing,” Chanyeol replied, an infuriating smile still gracing his rosy, full lips. "You looked pretty miserable in there, I figured we could call it a truce. Deal?"

"Deal," Baekhyun agreed, shaking the hand in front of him before wrapping the towel tightly around his shivering shoulders, not really knowing where to look anymore.

“Sit down,” Chanyeol instructed. “The sun’s searin’ hot today. You’ll be dry in no time.” 

Baekhyun did as he was told and sat down on the end of the dock. When he heard rustling behind him, he subtly peeked over his shoulder to see Chanyeol pulling his shirt on. Baekhyun watched as the sun-tanned muscles of his back rippled and shifted before they disappeared underneath the fabric. He mourned the expanse of golden brown skin now covered by a clean, white shirt, but quickly turned back around, not wanting to be caught staring so soon after his disastrous dive.

“So, what were you really doing out here?” Chanyeol asked once he was sat down beside the still soaking wet and embarrassed boy.

“I swear, we were only here because I heard all about Lover’s Lake from some kids and wanted to see for myself what the big deal was. But now that I’m here, it’s ugly and I hate it,” Baekhyun declared. “I don’t know why it’s called Lover’s Lake. I wouldn’t bring someone I love all the way out here, but I guess it’s just a stupid, made up name some dumb boys came up with to get girls to come here with them.”

In the back of his head, he could hear Kyungsoo’s disapproving voice telling him he shouldn’t say anything at all if he doesn’t have anything nice to say. But what does Kyungsoo know, anyway? Always following the rules and doing his homework to perfect marks. He can’t even confess to his crush after all these years.

“Byun Baekhyun, your ears don’t miss a thing, do they?” Chanyeol was smiling down at him with those crinkles at the corners of his eyes that made them look so black and sparkly and extra pretty. The older boy was looking at him with such a softness in his gaze that it made Baekhyun forget all about the fact that his clothes were dripping wet and riddled in fresh snags or that he was mad at his best friend.

“Oh, I hear all types of things around town,” Baekhyun agreed in his eagerness to amuse the older boy and make him laugh. “When I was working for Mrs. Lee, she and the Pastor’s wife would talk about all sorts of gossip! You wouldn’t believe! Remember the night the Chung’s were in a tizzy, calling around to check if anyone had seen their daughter? Well, turns out, she had run off with her boyfriend! They found the two of them stranded in the next town over before dragging the both of them back here in the middle of the night! Their hides must’a been as red as Mama’s cherry tomatoes!” 

“Running away with your lover.” Chanyeol considered for a moment before speaking. “Sounds romantic.”

“More like dumb,” Baekhyun responded with piercing bluntness. “They made up the plan that same afternoon, told a bunch of their friends where they were going, and didn’t even have any money on them besides the handful of bills they used to buy their one-way bus tickets. What kinda romance is that? If you wanna know what I think: they wanted to get caught.”

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at that and prompted the boy to elaborate. “And how d’ya figure that?”

“If you really wanted to run away, you’d make sure you were long gone before anyone noticed you were even missin’.”

“And how d’ya do that, genius?” Chanyeol challenged.

“Easy,” Baekhyun answered. “You disappear.”

Chanyeol looked ahead quietly, the playful mood disappearing from his body, sagging underneath the storm of thoughts raging behind the placid expression on his face. It scared Baekhyun to see him sad. It looked wrong on him. The troubled look in his eyes, the small crease between his dark brows, the crumple of his lips. He didn’t look like the Chanyeol he knew. The Chanyeol who was strong and warm, his skin rough and sun-kissed. Baekhyun felt childish and stupid and wished he knew how to keep his big mouth shut for once. The older boy let out a heavy, weary sigh. “That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one day.”

“Well, if I had something else to do with it,” he said in a small voice, not really knowing how to ask for what he wanted.

“Like what?” Chanyeol asked, curiosity making him look sideways at the young boy. But, Baekhyun had his face turned away. Suddenly, he felt strange. He could only scratch at the denim of his shorts and play with the fraying patches of worn fabric with his delicate fingers.

“What’s this? Byun Baekhyun… embarrassed?” Chanyeol teased, trying to draw the boy out of his thoughts. “I never thought I’d see the day! Is this the same boy who used to follow me around like a puppy? Crawling behind me on all fours? You refused to talk, except in happy barks and yips. I still remember that afternoon you came to me with a leash you took off one of your dolls clutched in your mouth, and you wouldn’t leave me alone until I agreed to walk you like a proper puppy! I was mortified, but you wouldn’t let up, trailing after me and nipping at my feet! I can’t believe you bit me to make me give in!”

“Shut up! I was only a baby then!” Baekhyun yelled, forgetting about his present embarrassment and pushing the older boy by the shoulder.

“The look on your mother’s face! I ran away as fast as I could!” Chanyeol hollered. “I’m sure you got quite a talking to that evening.”

“She dragged me to my feet by the ear and spit and hissed all night!” Baekhyun roared, rolling on the ground and bumping into Chanyeol’s hip, remembering how angry and exasperated his mother had been. He had always been a rambunctious and curious child, too curious for his own good, she would say as she popped an aspirin and gripped a tall glass of cool water from the sink in her trembling hands.

When they stopped rolling and laughing, Baekhyun found himself looking up at a breathless and grinning Chanyeol. The older boy’s face hovering inches above his own, his tanned arms on either side of Baekhyun’s face.

“How do all the boys not chase after you?” Chanyeol mused out loud.

“Who says they don’t?” Baekhyun retorted, vibrant and quick as a whip. He continued in a whisper, “But, if I let you in on a little secret, I like giving them somethin' to chase.” 

The older boy’s face froze, a little wide-eyed and shocked. Baekhyun's mother would have blanched paler than a raw potato, and then blushed profusely, if she had heard her son saying such provocative things in public - although, they weren’t really in a place where anyone would overhear them. But, if someone were to have overheard little Baekhyun’s confession and seen them in their compromising position, the boy’s poor mother would have had a fit of hysterics; the town scandalized.

For a dreadful moment, Baekhyun worried Chanyeol would do the same. It was as this thought was running through his head that the older boy above him let out a loud laugh. Baekhyun’s small shoulders gave a jump at the sudden sound. When he looked up, Chanyeol was beaming at him with such fondness and amusement, he forgot about his mother and this small town and stared up at the older boy with warmth radiating off of him in wonder.

“C’mon, Byun Baekhyun,” said Chanyeol as he heaved himself up and then held out a hand to the boy still lying on the ground. “We best get you home. Otherwise you’ll end up the talk of the town in a way that would make your mother cry.”

Baekhyun took the proffered hand, admiring the way the larger hand engulfed his own in a gentle grasp. 

Baekhyun knew Chanyeol wouldn’t so much as hurt his feelings, let alone break his heart. But Baekhyun wanted him to break his heart so bad. He was sick of being treated like a child, always being told what to do, to stay away from trouble. When it came to Park Chanyeol, Baekhyun wasn’t playing with fire; he was playing to get burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oofz~ Thank you for reading! I've officially lost control of my pov (☆_@) I kinda hate this chapter, but it's been over a month of trying to solve the inconsistency issues to no avail ;-; Was it distracting? Let me know what you think!
> 
> Pls water this baby sprout in comments to make it grow~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone (ﾉ ´ヮ`)ﾉ‧ *:･ﾟ✧
> 
> I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been a rough year, but hopefully, there are ~better days~ around the corner. Please accept this short chapter to tide you over for now. It's not much, but I hope you will enjoy it, nonetheless. If you notice, I have increased the chapter count. There's still much more to come, and I'm working out how to pace everything. So please stick around!
> 
> Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the lovely readers who left me the most amazing comments on the previous chapter. Those comments were definitely a highlight of my year! It was truly an honor to receive such enthusiastic feedback, and I hope the long waits in between will not put you off from staying with me until the end.
> 
> (Go listen to SuperM's song "Better Days" if you need a pick me up!)

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry it's so short! I have more outlined for this chapter but I'm easing back into writing, so I cut the chapter in half because I was really excited to share this with you guys and hear what you think! =>
> 
> It would also mean the world if you would check out my new chanbaek fic on my dash! Just click on my username to get there, and it'll be on top ^_^v


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